Mobile Auto Detailing - Mobile Work Stands, Portable Boxes and Buckets On Wheels

If you are an auto detailer perhaps you've noted that it's taking you far too long to clean a vehicle and still charge a low enough price to stay ahead of the competition. When we are in a recessionary period there tends to be a lot of bottom feeders, or should I say low-cost high-volume competitors out there. Often they will discount a detail to $100 or less, something that might take you to two-and-a-half to four hours to complete. I've always said; the money is in the time not the job, and you can increase the efficiency of your workflow, and if you can cut the time it takes to do a quality job by 30 minutes, you may actually be able to compete at a similar price point.

Further, when the market returns and everyone raises their prices back up due to supply and demand as everyone is busy, you will be able to do your jobs faster and make that much more money over the competition. This allows you to take more work, pay your auto detailer's better, and completely reduce your turnover as the competition tries to steal your best detailer's away from you. One of the easiest ways to increase your efficiency is to get a mobile work stand, put all your supplies on it, and keep it next to the car you are working on, rather than continually walking back and forth to your van, trailer, or pick up.

Indeed, I can remember when I first started detailing airplanes out at the airport I had a portable box with big industrial wheels on it. I would tow it behind my bicycle because I was only 12 years old with no vehicle, and I would park it right in front of the aircraft I was working on, and it actually had signage to help advertise while I was cleaning. This worked out very well, and I was more efficient than even those aircraft detailers working out of their own hangar.

As my business grew and we started cleaning fleets of vehicles, we put our buckets on wheels as well. This allowed us to go very fast with the 18 inch wide soft bristle brushes. It also saved our backs from having to pick up the water bucket over and over again, and it made it less awkward when trying to pull the pressure washing hose and wand along as we cleaned. The bucket was on wheels so we just kicked it along with us as needed. All of these strategies work very good for auto detailing too. So if you want to increase your efficiency, you need to be thinking here. Please consider all this.

The Benefits of Getting a Handicapped Accessible Vehicle

Times have changed and fortunately, that means that things have become better for everyone. This is true especially for people with disabilities. Most handicap people nowadays have learned to adapt to the modern times. Disability is no longer a hindrance to achieving success. In fact, studies show that the treatment for both normal and people with disabilities is not so much different.

This does not mean you cannot go out of your way to make things easier when you see a person with a disability. Many still appreciate little gestures like offering assistance. It may be as simple as opening a door, helping them make a difficult turn, or even a helping hand.

This change paved the way for the introduction of products and services that make things easier to people with physical handicaps. More companies are contributing to the development of new technologies that give even those with disabilities an equal chance at succeeding. Here are just some of the benefits you get from such vehicle:

Additional Storage

Family members with disabilities require the use of bulky and heavy equipment. This makes it even more important to have a vehicle that has additional storage space. You need a sizable amount of space so you can bring everything and not require an additional trip. This makes travelling with the rest of the family members easier. This way, there is no need to limit the things they can bring with them on a trip.

Bigger Movement Space

Your vehicle will have ample movement space, making maneuvering inside much easier. This is important especially if you are driving longer distances. The long trip can become tedious sitting down in just one area. With additional floor space, the person can stretch and move around with ease.

Ramp or Lift Access

Ramps are an ideal feature in any handicap-accessible vehicles, more so for people using a wheelchair. Vehicles with ramps make it easier to get inside and outside the vehicle without leaving the wheelchair. Most mobility vehicles now have automatic ramps that retract back for an easy setup.

Mobile Car Detailers Are Expanding Into An Auto Detailing Shop

Well, having been in the auto detailing sector as a young man and then expanding the business to include mobile car washing, truck washing, boat detailing, and aircraft cleaning I can tell you that there is always plenty of business for those who work hard, give great service, have a fair price, hustle, and do a quality job. There is just so much business. Of course, that means you have to go from being a little company to becoming a real business. Now then, let's talk about how to expand a mobile car detailing business and turning it into an automotive detail shop.

Just the other day someone had contacted me because they live in a small town where the weather is not always cooperative for their auto detailing business, their operations now are primarily mobile. The have plenty of business and cannot get all the work done, sound familiar? It should, because if you are in this sector and doing everything right, that's a space you know all too well. In any case, he knows he has to keep his employees busy, gainfully employed making money, or they will quit and find more consistent work. Right, so he needs to get his business out of the elements and into a shop.

Only one problem with all this, the costs for renting a building where he's at are a little high, and he only really needs a shop certain times of the year. Second, he doesn't want to sign a 5 or 10-year lease right now, because he also has other business ventures too. Okay so, one solution might be to get set up with a nice portable building system; what you ask? Yes, a portable expandable enclosure. There are several companies that make these. One company is CSS USA, and I think they call their buildings something like the; carcoon workstation - get it; car + cocoon? Yes, cute right, funny too, but the darn thing works.

It pumps up like one of those "jumping party enclosures" for kids. Then you can drive the car right inside, and it's durable for I suppose anything, painting cars, doing auto motive repairs, or what have you, and I'd say just the ticket for auto detailing. I was in one not too long ago, it was okay, good ventilation and it was dry inside but raining outside.

Anyway, I discussed this potential option with the young entrepreneur trying to overcome the weather obstacle, as this might be one option for him. The other was a trailer enclosure to drive to the job site where the trailer sides expand. There are two companies I know about who make these especially for mobile auto detailers; one is in CA and the other in FL. Or you could get a Featherlite racing trailer and use that, but I suppose that would be pretty expensive. When there is a will there is a way in the auto detailing business, I always say. Please consider all this and think on it.

Critical Aspects of Automotive Cooling Systems

One of the more easily neglected systems in cars is the engine cooling system. More than ever, it is a critical component in today's highly-stressed and high-efficiency engines. As you may already know, the cooling system's principal function is to carry away the heat generated by the combustion of fuel from the cylinder head and the engine block. This is why the water, or coolant, inside the radiator has to be circulated. There was a time when all the car owner had to do was to just look for the radiator cap, fill the radiator with water to the brim and off he went. With modern systems being sealed systems, new car owners don't even have to think about them until a year or two down the road.

There is more than just a radiator, hoses and a cap to a properly functioning radiator system. You also have a thermostat, water pump and coolant temperature sensor plumbed into the system. And a fan. Today's cars almost always use an electrically-driven fan, but older cars had the fan connected to the water pump drive assembly. Now, while you can drive home with a faulty temperature sensor or a leaky radiator cap, having a blown water pump can destroy your engine in minutes. The same thing can also happen if an electrically-driven cooling fan quits.

It used to be too that all the temperature sensor did was to send an electrical value to a gauge, which you would look at to see if the car was overheating. Now, it is a significant contributor to engine performance, because it helps the ECU choose the proper ignition map for best performance. Even the lowly radiator hose nowadays has to withstand higher temperatures and system pressures, as well as a different coolant formulation. Where copper was the material used to make radiators, together with iron engine blocks, plenty of cars now use aluminum radiators and aluminum blocks and heads. So, the coolant itself has to have different anti-corrosion properties. As we said earlier, new car owners don't need to worry about these components early in a car's life. But it's good to know that any number of things can go wrong in an automotive cooling system. Knowing this, a car owner should follow a manufacturer's specific maintenance and component replacement schedule, so that you don't get stranded by the side of the road with a blown hose, leaky fittings or worse, a warped engine.

Mobile Oil Changing - Personal Cars At Office Buildings Versus Fleets

The other day, I was talking with a start-up entrepreneur considering doing some sort of mobile auto business - you know, something like mobile auto detailing, restoration, repair, or maybe oil changing. There are a ton of interesting business models out there, some franchises some not. Let's talk about this, because I've been involved in car detailing, mobile car washing, and mobile oil changing business models as a franchisor before retirement.

We got onto the subject of fleet services versus personal car services. In auto detailing they call it "retail detail" for personal car owners, and "wholesale detailing" for fleets, car lots, auto auctions, rental car companies, or fleet contracting. I became convinced early on that his main focus being a mechanic was to do some sort of on-site repair, preferably something simple like oil changing. We then talked about fleet vehicles all in a row - production like oil changes versus going to office buildings and doing personal cars.

He agreed with me after I explained the efficiencies of the fleet side of the business and duly noted; "Fleet vehicles definitely appear to be the apex of the industry as far as eliminating potential issues from almost every angle and also in retaining the customer base... 1 customer per fleet vs. 1 per car. There seems to be quite a few decent hurdles to get over to enter into the private sector as a mainstay."

Sure there are ways to overcome hurdles, for instance have a list of customers in advance, know their cars and filters, pick them up at 7AM at NAPA auto parts on the way to your first job - thus, no inventory, if you get walk-ups put them at the end of the line of customers and call NAPA on your smart phone to deliver to the parking lot.

Of course, not everyone who works in an office building wants their oil changed by a mobile oil changing company, and it can be a challenge logistically keeping track of that many customers, or potential customers rather. Generally, only 8% of the people will want their oil changed.

A percentage of people will, a percentage of people will not, but with our current government leadership in office, I'd say the percentage of "nots" is increasing not decreasing, consumer confident issues. One big plus is that the oil change industry tracks new car sales, and lots of cars are being sold today (minus the large numbers of repos due to too easy credit), those new car buyers are more likely during the first 3-years of ownership to make sure they get an oil change. Please consider all this and think on it.

Implementing a Waterless Car Wash in Your Detailing Business

Starting a detailing business isn't quite as simple as it used to be. Increased environmental regulations are forcing old methods of washing vehicles into decline. No longer can a detailer take out a pressure washer with soap and blast away at a car. In fact, many newcomers to the industry learn the hard way when local authorities impose hefty fines when caught cleaning a car without water reclamation mats.

Thankfully, the car care industry has made major improvements in its product offerings which is allowing detailers to stay in compliance. One major advancement is the introduction of Waterless Car Wash products. These formulas allow a detailer to safely clean and protect a vehicle without allowing a drop of water to reach the ground. For obvious reasons this is of great benefit to the environment. In the past detailers would simply let their wastewater flow directly into the environment. Brake dust, phosphates, oils and other contaminants quickly polluted local waterways and wreaked havoc on aquatic life. However, these products don't just save the planet, but they also make a detailer's life easier in other ways.

A Waterless Car Wash frees the detailer from having to haul around a large water tank. This in turn also improves gas mileage and allows them to maneuver around their local city much more freely. Previously, detailer's would find a local source of distilled or deionized water and fill up every morning. Not only is this an inconvenience, but it actually costs money to buy this type of water.

In addition, many of today's Waterless Car Wash products integrate synthetic or natural protective agents such as polymers or carnauba wax, which will give customer's cars a slick and shiny finish from just the wash.

Implementing a Waterless Car Wash into a detailing business is a relatively straightforward process. First, you need to find the product that works best for you. Many leading manufacturers offer their products in a concentrated form which yields a greater cost savings over the RTU (ready-to-use) product. You'll also want to have a large stock of microfiber towels as these are a necessity for properly using a waterless product.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly is the fact that the term 'waterless' is foreign to many consumers and they need education on how the products actually work. For example, show them a demonstration in advance so that they properly understand that the products won't harm the vehicle's finish. Show them some past clients cars you have done or offer up testimonials. As time progresses, the waterless concept will surely become the norm. However, until then you'll need to do a lot of handholding with the consumer to get their acceptance.

As you can see a Waterless Car Wash offers up many advantages over traditional pressure washing. As the next generation of detailers come into the industry we will surely see a shift to this method of car cleaning.